§ Mr. BAILEYasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the estimated additional gross annual cost of increasing all contributory old age pensions by 5s. a week for single persons and by 7s, a week for married couples?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI assume that my hon. Friend intends his question to1712W cover widows' pensions and that he does not contemplate that the increase would be withdrawn when the pensioner reached the age of 70. If this assumption is correct, the additional cost of the increase he mentions would be about £33,000,000 a year, while if all old age pensioners were included, the cost would be about £40,000,000 a year. The cost would increase steadily as the aged population increases.